Proposals will next be accepted starting September 1st, 2019.Deadline for artist proposals and script submissions: November 1, 2019Deadline for regional development grants: December 1, 2019

The EST/Sloan Project commissions, develops and presents new works delving into how we view and are affected by the scientific world. These plays examine the struggles and challenges scientists and engineers face from moral issues to the consequences of their discoveries.

The Project is designed to stimulate artists to create credible and compelling work exploring the worlds of science and technology and to challenge existing stereotypes of scientists and engineers in the popular imagination. The Project commissions and develops new works throughout EST’s developmental season, including one Mainstage Production, as well as workshops and readings in an annual festival called FIRST LIGHT.

COMMISSION AWARDS

Commissions will be awarded to individuals, groups and creative teams for full-length and one-act plays and musicals. Commissions range from $1000 to $10,000. Commission amounts are determined on a case-by-case basis, as are deadlines for drafts, finished work, and research support (if appropriate). Extant, full-length works may be submitted and are judged on a script-by-script basis by the EST/Sloan Project staff. Rewrite commissions for existing scripts range from $1,000 to $5,000.

Commissions are also available for regional theaters who wish to sponsor a local project focused on science and technology, either by commissioning a new script or developing an extant piece. Regional commission amounts are determined on a case-by-case basis, ranging from $2,000 - $5,000.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The EST/Sloan Project is open to a broad range of topics related to the issues, people, ideas, processes, leading-edge discoveries, inventions, and/or history of the "hard" sciences and technology.

AREAS NOT CONSIDERED FOR COMMISSIONS INCLUDE:

HOW TO APPLY

NEW COMMISSIONS

Individuals, creative teams and theatre companies interested in receiving an EST/Sloan Project commission should submit the following as their application for a grant:

A one- or two-page description or a simple outline/synopsis of the project. This document should describe the actual story being explored and include in the description of the story how the science being portrayed would be inherently dramatic in the piece. Focus on plot and character development, and, as it ideally will in the finished play, how the science comes out through plot and character.

A resume or biography of each collaborator involved.

REWRITE COMMISSIONS

Individuals, creative teams and theatre companies interested in receiving an EST/Sloan Project rewrite grant should submit the following as their application:

A draft of the script.

A one- or two-page cover letter detailing the development history of the play, your goals for a rewrite commission, and any questions you have about the current draft.

A resume or biography of each collaborator involved.

A selection committee evaluates the proposals and makes the final decisions. Candidates may be asked to revise aspects of their proposals, provide writing samples, and/or arrange a meeting to discuss their project as part of the selection process.

Deadline for artist proposals and script submissions: November 1, 2018Deadline for regional development grants: December 1, 2018

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONS

Theatre companies interested in receiving an EST/Sloan Project regional development grant should submit the following as their application for a grant:

A current draft of the script, or a one- to two-page description or outline of the project.

A resume or biography of each collaborator involved.

A one- to two-page cover letter detailing the development history of the project and your goals for the commission.